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Back in 2004, Scott Peterson was convicted for killing his then-pregnant wife, Laci Peterson. Found missing around Christmas Eve in 2002, Laci was pregnant with the couple’s unborn child Conner Peterson. Her body was found on the shores of the San Francisco Bay, two miles away from the Berkeley Marina where Scott was accused of disposing of his wife’s body.
While Scott Peterson himself has continued to maintain his innocence and claimed that he was out fishing when the murder took place, he was also found to be dating a woman named Amber Frey, whom he had told that he was unmarried.
Considering the trial and conviction took place in California where not a single execution has taken place since 2006, Peterson continues to be imprisoned with little hope of being released in his lifetime. The overall incident and trial have been covered as part of Netflix’s latest crime documentary, American Murder: Laci Peterson.
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The three-part series includes interviews from Scott Peterson himself, and delves into a range of never-heard-before details, including Peterson’s own claims that he has been framed.
Scott Peterson never confessed to wife Laci Peterson’s murder
The overall case has received extra attention due to the docu-series, which premiered recently on August 14. The murder itself took place back in December 2002, as Laci Peterson was reported missing from her home in Modesto, California, on December 24, 2002. She had been reported missing by Scott Peterson, who claimed that he had gone fishing at Berkeley Marina.
Scott had claimed that his wife was supposed to walk the dog. However, he claimed that he found the family dog in the backyard with its leash attached, and found an empty house with his wife missing. This led to a speedy investigation and an extensive search by the community.
However, it was only four months later that Laci and her unborn son’s bodies were found, in the San Francisco Bay. The discovery eventually led to Scott Peterson’s arrest, who was found with dyed hair, a large amount of cash, and a range of survival gear on him. This further fuelled suspicion as the police were convinced he wanted to escape the city. Regardless, despite the lack of evidence directly tying him to the crime, Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004 and second-degree murder with respect to his child.
The conviction was upheld in appeals but in 2020, the California Supreme Court ended up overturning the death sentence due to complexities pertaining to jury selection in the original trial. As a result, Peterson was convicted of a life in prison without parole, although the prosecution holds the right to push for a death penalty in subsequent appeals.
Regardless, the docu-series interview also reveals that Peterson himself has maintained his innocence, claiming that he had been wrongly convicted. Furthermore, the case has also been taken up by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, which is looking into the possibility of Laci being murdered by burglars instead.
Despite the case having moved through multiple courts already, the organization has requested DNA testing and believes that the conviction might be wrong. This has been delved into in the docu-series as well, as it attempts to examine the kind of arguments Scott Peterson has with respect to his potential innocence.
Furthermore, the documentary also includes a range of never-seen before footage. It includes interviews from Amber Frey, the woman who had been dating Scott Peterson, and will also include Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha.
Amber Frey has revealed in the docu-series that while Scott had initially claimed he was a widower, he had eventually revealed details about his marriage. Of course, the findings of the series might not play a major role in the case itself, which has concluded with multiple murder convictions for Scott Peterson. Hence, while Peterson himself has never confessed to the murder of his wife, he was found guilty despite a dearth of evidence in the case.
All three parts of American Murder: Laci Peterson can be watched on Netflix.
